


victory is in a simple soul

by bluebellren



Category: RWBY, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-31
Updated: 2014-07-31
Packaged: 2018-02-11 05:34:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2055627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluebellren/pseuds/bluebellren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the year 845, in the town of Shiganshina, humanity received a grim reminder of the horror of the Titans.</p><p>Ruby Rose wanted to be just like her mother and join the Garrison, but when she lost her hometown and her mother in one day, she decided to join the Scouting Regiment hoping to one day reclaim her hometown. Her sister, Yang, made a promise to their mother that she would always protect her sister and if that means to joining the Scouts with Ruby, then so be it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	victory is in a simple soul

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Year 845

Shiganshina

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Summer Rose was getting dressed into her uniform, ready for her shift on Wall Maria’s gates. She tied her hair into a small ponytail, and made sure her body harness was on correctly. Behind her, the front door opened.

“Momma!” One of her daughters yelled before clinging to her legs. She smiled, looking down to see her youngest Ruby grinning up at her. Ruby’s dark red hair flowed down her back, almost matching the color of the cape tied around her neck. Yang closed the door and came closer to her mother and sister, her hair matching her mother’s almost exactly, except for the length. Though, Summer needed to keep her hair short if she needed to use her 3D Maneuver Gear.

“Are you leaving for work, Mom?” Yang asked, looking at Summer’s uniform. Summer nodded.

“Only for the afternoon shift. I’ll be back just in time for dinner, okay?” The girls smiled and nodded. Ruby tugged on Summer’s sleeve.

“Momma, do you think I can be part of the rose guard too?” Her eyes staring at the Garrison patch.

“Rose guard? Oh! You mean, the Garrison. Maybe, you have a couple more years until you’re of age. Why do you ask?”

Yang laughed quietly behind her.

“Today we learned about the three military divisions. It’s all she could talk about on the walk home from school,”

“I want to be in the rose guard because that’s where you are, Momma,” Ruby proclaimed. Summer smiled, and hugged her two girls. She pulled back to look at them and kissed them on their cheeks.

“How about this? When I come back, we’ll talk more. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll ask if I can take you with me to work one day,” Summer could practically see stars in Ruby’s eyes from all her excitement. She ruffled her daughter’s hair, before she grabbed her uniform jacket off a chair. She slipped it on, and started to walk towards the door.

“Now, like I said, I’ll be back in time for dinner. Be good while I’m gone,” She looked over her shoulder and smiled at her daughters again.

“Wait, momma! Can you show me the salute?” She heard Ruby ask, as she was opening the door. She turned on her heel, brought her right hand into a fist over her heart and her left one behind her back. She couldn’t say no to her daughter. She tried not to laugh as Ruby tried to imitate her.

“Now, have fun while I’m gone. Go play with your friends or by the river. Yang, no fights with the older boys though,” Her eldest daughter pouted. The two girls walked onto their front steps to wave their mother off, before going to go find something to do.

“Yang, can we go read by the river?” Ruby asked, when their mom disappeared around a corner. Yang nodded,

“Go get one of your books,” She said with a smile. Ruby ran back into the house to do just that.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Yang had lost track of time while she was reading to her little sister, but she did stop reading when Ruby began snoring on her shoulder. They should start heading home soon, so they can beat their mom there.

But, Yang didn’t want to leave just yet. There was a sense of calm in the air, the breeze was nice and cool. It seemed to be the only noise she could hear around her. She wanted to stay there and take a nap like Ruby. She leaned her head onto Ruby’s, and closed her eyes for a few minutes. She’d wake Ruby soon, so they could go home.

There was a loud sound that sounded close to a lightning strike, only louder, waking Yang up. A second later, it sounded like something exploded. The ground rippled beneath them, throwing her and Ruby into the air and land hard onto the ground. Ruby awoke with tears stinging her eyes, being from both being awoken up so soon and hitting her head on the ground.

“Yang, what was that?” Yang pushed herself off the ground, watching the adults close by them pointing at something towards the wall. She helped Ruby off the ground, and grabbed Ruby’s book.

“Let’s follow the adults,” She held out her hand for Ruby to grab. Something felt off, something wasn’t right judging by how still the adults were. They were all staring towards the wall; they looked scared. They finally reached the group of people and looked in the same direction. Yang’s eyes widened in horror, as she looked upon the top of the wall; a pillar of smoke was coming from the other side, and there was what looked like a hand grabbing onto the top. She could Ruby start to shake, as they watched the wall start to crack under the weight of the hand.

She listened to the murmurs of the people around her, and they all had led to the same conclusion.

Yang held her sister’s hand tighter, as a shape lifted past the height of the wall, casting a shadow onto the town. The titan’s face loomed down at them, and everyone around them stilled. The titan tilted forward and what happened next, Yang and Ruby would never forget.

There was a sound of another explosion, and dust and harsh wind filled the air. Yang leaned down and held onto her sister tight, in hopes of keeping her safe from the wind. Yang could hear screams and dozens of large objects falling to the ground, destroying homes. Yang finally looked up, and she kept her sister from looking. There were a few dead bodies around them, blood leaking from under a large rock that had come during the blast. Yang looked back towards where they were sitting by the river to find a piece of the Wall where her and her sister were just sitting not even a few minutes before. She had moved them just in time.

“Ruby, keep your eyes close and hold onto my hand. We’re just going to meet Mom,” Yang just hoped their home was still standing, and that their mother hadn’t arrived yet.

“Yang, what’s going on? What happened?” Ruby asked, as they started to jog back towards their home.

“Something happened to the Wall. I don’t know what, but we just need to reach Mom,” The girls rounded a corner and onto the street their house was located, and Yang skidded to a halt; A large portion of the wall had taken down half of their house and all of their next door neighbor’s. Ruby chose this time to open her eyes, and yank her hand out of Yang’s grip to run to their house. She screamed for her mother, praying that she wasn’t in there.

Overhead, they heard the sound of 3D Maneuver Gear, and someone yelling their names. Their mother landed, grabbing Yang’s hand and running towards Ruby’s to grab her hand as well. She began to run towards the inner gate.

“Mom, what’s going on?” Yang asked, as they ran through streets, passing many people running as well.

“There is a hole in the Wall. There are Titans leaking through. I need to get you to the boat going off to Trost, I need to keep you safe. Once you get to Trost, you need to find your uncle Qrow. He runs an armory near the center of town,” Summer explained as they reached the entrance to the inner gate. Soldiers ran past, and Ruby turned her head back to walk them launch into the air with their gear.

They reached the boat, and the girls were let on. Summer placed a kiss on both of her daughters’ foreheads, and pulled them close to her into a hug.

“I love you two. I love you so much,” Summer made to leave the boat, only to have Ruby grab her hand.

“Momma, why aren’t you coming with us? You can’t leave us,” Summer took a moment to compose herself, before crouching down to her daughter’s level.

“Ruby, I’m a soldier, and there are a lot of people who still need my help. It’s my duty to protect them. Don’t worry, once everyone is safe, I will come to Trost as well and be with you, do you understand?” Ruby nodded her head, rubbing the tears out of her eyes. She gave her mother a tight hug, which Summer returned. Summer stood once more, looking towards her eldest.

“Yang, take care of your sister for me, ok?” Yang nodded, grabbing Ruby’s hand. They, once more, waved their mother off as she went off to go back to the town.

The boat began to fill up quickly, and Yang held onto her sister as the soldiers in charge of the boat yelled for the boat to move. She heard people yelling on the shore, as the boat moved forward. As they reached a little away, they watched as another titan crashed through the inner gate and the other boat leave the pier, leaving of thousands of other people behind.

Yang pulled Ruby closer as the younger one began to cry. She rubbed Ruby’s back, trying to sooth her.

“Don’t worry, Ruby. Mom can do it. We’ll stay with our uncle Qrow for a little bit and then she’ll come get us. Ok?” Ruby nodded into her chest, but they both knew that it might not happen. Not knowing that back in Shiganshina, Summer was meeting her end, her daughters’ name were the last words out of her mouth.

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It took a day for the boats to reach Wall Rose, and by then, the news of the titan breach had reached the town of Trost. The two girls went in search of their uncle, but got lost in the winding streets. Ruby began to complain about her stomach as Yang tried to make heads or tails of where they were.

“Are you guys lost?” The girls stopped and turned to find a small blond boy around Ruby’s age. He grinned at them and waited for them to answer.

“How do you know?”

“Well, you just look confused, is all. Oh, I’m Jaune by the way,” Ruby stood behind her sister and stared at the boy, she waved at him shyly.

“I’m Yang, and this is my sister Ruby. And we’re from Shiganshina, so we really don’t know where we are going. You wouldn’t happen to know where Qrow’s Armory is, would you?” Jaune thought for a moment, before nodding his head.

“I know Qrow, he owns the Rose Armory. I can show you the way,” Jaune walked towards the girls, and headed down the street to the right of them; he motioned for them to follow them. He chattered aimlessly, but the girls weren’t really paying attention. He tried to make jokes to at least get them to smile, but only succeed in making Ruby smile for a moment. It took them a few minutes before they were standing in front of a building, the sign proclaiming ‘Rose Armory’ above their heads. The girls thanked Jaune for his time, and he waved them off before running off.

Their uncle Qrow was a strange man, they didn’t learn much about him, but he did tell them a lot of stories about their mother. He lived in the apartment above his store, and the girls helped him with the shop. Every day, Ruby would watch out the window, waiting for a sign of their mothers. Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, and she had all but given up. There was no confirmation of Summer’s death, but the girls knew.

One day, a year after Shiganshina had fallen, Ruby pulled her uncle aside.

“What age can you join the military?” Qrow raised an eyebrow at her, but answered her nonetheless.

“You usually have to be 12 to join, and it’s a three year training period. I heard from your sister that you were thinking of joining the Garrison division, is that what you’re going for?” Ruby shook her head.

“When we were taught about the military divisions in school, they told us about the Scouting division. They go after the titans outside the walls. I heard that the scouting division is going to try to reclaim Wall Maria soon,” Qrow had heard about the reclaiming mission, but the military was forcing untrained citizens to join the upcoming mission. Everyone knew it was to reduce the overpopulation and food shortage of Trost, but no one was arguing it.

“Well, you have another year before you can join the training program. I can help train you for some of the parts before you join, if you want?” Ruby nodded and hugged her uncle.

‘Thank you, Uncle,” Qrow ruffled his niece’s hair, before going back to work. Ruby, once more, watched out the window, looking towards the Wall.

“I’m going to join the Scouting division, and reclaim my home,” She placed her right fist over her heart, vowing to be able to go back home. Yang hugged her from behind, scaring her.

“You know you’re not going alone, right?” Yang promised their mother that she would protect Ruby no matter what, and if that meant joining the military with her, then so be it.

The two girls went back to looking out the window, wondering what their future of being in the military would hold.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been watching on this AU for about three months now. It started out with just ideas I would post on tumblr until I finally started writing the story.
> 
> I am hoping to update one chapter a week, always on RWBY days.
> 
> I talk about updates, ideas and whatnot on my sideblog, attackonrwby. And I, also, track the 'attack on rwby au' tag.


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